God in Sports

Ethics, Morality, and Sin

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lostguest
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God in Sports

Post #1

Post by lostguest »

To those who believe that God answers prayers and intervenes in mundane things such as sports, what you're basically supporting is one of the following two positions: 1) God denies the fruit of their effort to players who worked and trained harder and are superior or simply better, in favor of players who simply asked him to intervene. Or 2) players who prayed to God are already better than the other team and didn't really need God's intervention to win.
Either way, to anyone who honestly believes God intervenes in sports, isn't having God's intervention as much of a cheat as a player who uses performance enhancing drugs or as having an extra player in the court or field?

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McCulloch
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Post #2

Post by McCulloch »

I cannot imagine how the God described in the New Testament would care a whit about sporting contests. I don't think that theologians or philosophers on either side of the God question could debate this.
Examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good.
First Epistle to the Church of the Thessalonians
The truth will make you free.
Gospel of John

lostguest
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Post #3

Post by lostguest »

[Replying to post 2 by McCulloch]

This is not so much about the sports aspect but about the so-called "power of prayer" and the fairness of having God intervene in the lives of some people and not others. Similar scenarios can be applied to all aspects of life, such as students praying for good grades or to pass a test or a person applying for a job when there are others applying for the same position.

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Post #4

Post by McCulloch »

[Replying to post 3 by lostguest]

Too often, believers do not fully appreciate what it is that they are asking for. "Lord, please give me an unfair advantage in this situation." is, I think, a bad sort of prayer. On the other hand, "God, help me to be calm and focused; to do my personal best when the pressure is on." is a better kind of thing.
Examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good.
First Epistle to the Church of the Thessalonians
The truth will make you free.
Gospel of John

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Post #5

Post by OnceConvinced »

I can't see how anyone can feel good about winning a competition with God's help. Especially sports which is supposed to be team against team or one-on-one. How can anyone with any integrity accept this kind of divine assistance? Fellow Christians should be outraged when a fellow Christian gives thanks to God for helping them win. Medals and trophies should be forced to be returned if anyone claims to have had supernatural help to win.

If God is helping a team to win then that is exactly like taking performing enhancement drugs. On the other hand if God is sabotaging the other team that means he has to violate their freewill by forcing them not to play so well or to make mistakes.

I wrote this brief article about how Christians cheat at sports. Tongue in cheek of course... (If you're a Survivor fan you may also like it)
Cheating via God

Society and its morals evolve and will continue to evolve. The bible however remains the same and just requires more and more apologetics and claims of "metaphors" and "symbolism" to justify it.

Prayer is like rubbing an old bottle and hoping that a genie will pop out and grant you three wishes.

There is much about this world that is mind boggling and impressive, but I see no need whatsoever to put it down to magical super powered beings.


Check out my website: Recker's World

lostguest
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Post #6

Post by lostguest »

[Replying to OnceConvinced]

Just read your article and that's exactly what I was trying to say. I'm glad you put it so articulately.

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Post #9

Post by master_blaster »

This is awfully conceited. You'd think God would prioritize helping kids over a 4th quarter comeback. Now if tim tebow started levitating and flies over every defender for a touchdown, then I'd be inclined to agree.

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bluethread
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Post #10

Post by bluethread »

master_blaster wrote: This is awfully conceited. You'd think God would prioritize helping kids over a 4th quarter comeback. Now if tim tebow started levitating and flies over every defender for a touchdown, then I'd be inclined to agree.
From what I have heard and seen Tim Tebow does not pray to win. The admonition is this; Jms. 4:13-15 Go to now, ye that say , To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell , and get gain: Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say , If the Lord will , we shall live , and do this, or that." Yeshua exemplified this when He prayed, "not my will, but thine, be done."

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